Fake Virus Alerts in Your Browser? Relax, It's Not a Virus, It's a Deceptive Notification!

Imagine you're Browse the internet peacefully, perhaps visiting a crypto website or any other site, and suddenly, your screen is flooded with alarming messages: "Your computer has a virus!", "Your system is in danger!", "Click here to clean!". It might even keep appearing repeatedly, even if you close the browser or restart your computer. It's a situation that's scary and incredibly frustrating!

The first and most important thing you should know is: take a deep breath. In the vast majority of cases like the one you describe, your computer has NOT been infected by a real virus. What you're experiencing is a very common trick based on the abuse of your web browser's notifications.

What's Really Happening? The Browser Notification Trap

Modern browsers have a very useful feature: allowing websites to send you notifications (for example, when there's a new news article on your favorite news website, or a message on a social network). To do this, the website must always ask for your permission, and you must click "Allow."

Malicious websites take advantage of this. They use psychological tricks to deceive you into granting permission without realizing it. Some examples?

• A banner that says: "Click 'Allow' to verify you're not a robot."
• A message that asks: "Click 'Allow' to watch this video."
• A pop-up that suggests: "Click 'Allow' to confirm you are over 18."

Once you inadvertently click "Allow," you've given that website permission to send you notifications. From that moment on, that website starts bombarding you with false and alarming messages, disguised as security alerts or dubious promotions. These alerts do not come from your antivirus or your operating system, but directly from the website you gave permission to.

Relax! Your Antivirus Is Probably Telling the Truth

If you've run your antivirus and it says there are no threats, you can be quite relieved. The reason is that the problem isn't malicious software installed on your computer, but a permission setting in your browser. Your antivirus finds nothing because there's nothing to "clean" at the system level.

The Definitive Solution: Revoke Notification Permission (Step-by-Step!)

The good news is that eliminating these annoying notifications is very simple. You just need to tell your browser to stop allowing that website to send you messages. Here's how to do it in the most common browsers:

For Google Chrome:

1. Open Chrome and click on the three vertical dots in the top right corner.
2. Go to "Settings."
3. In the left-hand menu, click on "Privacy and security."
4. Select "Site Settings."
5. Find and click on "Notifications."
6. Here you will see a list of websites. Check the "Allowed" and "Blocked" sections.
7. Look for any suspicious or unknown sites (often with strange names or ones you don't remember visiting).
8. Click on the three vertical dots next to the site's name and select "Block" or "Remove."

For Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open Firefox and click on the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top right corner.
2. Go to "Settings" or "Options."
3. In the left-hand menu, click on "Privacy & Security."
4. Scroll down to the "Permissions" section and find "Notifications." Click on "Settings..."
5. You will see a list of websites you have given permission to.
6. Look for suspicious sites. Select the site and click on "Remove Website" or, in the dropdown menu next to it, choose "Block."

For Microsoft Edge:

1. Open Edge and click on the three horizontal dots in the top right corner.
2. Go to "Settings."
3. In the left-hand menu, click on "Cookies and site permissions."
4. Scroll down and click on "Notifications."
5. In the "Allow" section, look for suspicious or unknown websites.
6. Click on the three horizontal dots next to the site's name and select "Block" or "Remove."

How to Avoid It in the Future: Be a Cyber-Vigilant

The best defense is prevention:

• ALWAYS read what a pop-up asks you before clicking "Allow" or "Accept"! Many pop-ups aim to deceive you quickly.
• Be suspicious of "too good to be true" offers or content that requires a strange action to be viewed.
• Keep your browser updated: Browser developers constantly work to improve security.

Knowing how to identify and eliminate these deceptive notifications will give you greater control over your Browse experience and allow you to enjoy the internet with more peace of mind.